Julia looked around nervously. “Cecilia said no.”
Gabriel’s head swiveled in Julia’s direction. “What?”
“Cecilia said that if I want to work with her, I need to be here next fall.”
Again, Gabriel planted his feet. “She threatened you?”
Julia swiped under her eyes. “Not in so many words. She said she’d read the Edinburgh schedule, but that it would look bad for her to send her top student there, especially with Katherine coming into the department.”
Gabriel cast a murderous look at the building in which Cecilia’s office was located. His feet began moving. “I’ll speak to her.”
“No!” Julia tugged on his arm. “I don’t want to make a scene. Let’s talk in the car.”
“I’ll call Greg Matthews. That will put an end to it.” Gabriel lifted his chin, his blue eyes sparking.
“If you do that, she’ll drop me.” Julia’s voice was just above a whisper.
Gabriel regarded her. Then he looked at the building.
He cursed. “They can’t do this. Students study abroad from that department all the time.”
“Yes, in Italy. Not Scotland.” Julia tugged on his arm and they continued walking.
“The issue is the coursework. If you can get the courses you need in Edinburgh, they should be able to transfer. You’d be below the maximum number of transfer credits, correct? You only need three courses.”
“Yes, but not even Graham Todd knows what courses will be offered next year. They haven’t set the schedule.”
“Bullshit. Whatever they were lacking, Graham or one of his colleagues could offer you a directed research course.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Julia was having difficulty keeping up with Gabriel’s long strides, even ignoring the strange numbness in her leg.
He seemed to recognize her distress and slowed his pace. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you.”
“I’m okay,” Julia lied.
“I don’t understand why Cecilia has turned on us. I thought we were friends.” Gabriel muttered a few choice expletives.
“She mentioned something about the dean scolding Greg Matthews, since no one in his department has been asked to give the Sage Lectures in a long time.”
“That’s true. But the lectureship is international. And it covers all fields in the humanities, not just literature.”
“Greg told Cecilia you were considered for the endowed chair they gave to her. The dean brought it up.” Julia and Gabriel exchanged a look.
“Considered and rejected,” Gabriel scoffed, sounding bitter. “I like Greg, but being awarded the Sage Lectures after being turned down by his department was a very satisfying middle finger to all of them.”
“Now Cecilia is giving me the middle finger.”
Gabriel stopped. He unlinked their connection and placed his hands on her shoulders. “She’s giving me the middle finger. You’re just a convenient target.”
Julia ignored his remark and instead looked down at her child and took her tiny hand. “Hi, Clare.”
The baby gurgled and smiled, kicking her feet out the sides of the baby carrier.
Julia returned Clare’s smile. “We shouldn’t talk about this in front of her. She’ll pick up on the negative vibes.”
“All right,” Gabriel said stiffly.
They continued their walk to the car.
“But this is not over.” He gave Julia an ominous look.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
What do you want to do?” Gabriel sat facing Julianne in their bedroom.
Rebecca was giving Clare a bath and readying her for bed.
Julia picked at the material of her jeans. “Cecilia said she’d look at the Edinburgh courses. Once I get the schedule, I’ll show them to her.”
Gabriel sat back and crossed his arms. “Cecilia also told you she wouldn’t approve a semester abroad.”
“I have to try,” Julia said quietly.
“We need to talk to Katherine.”
“No.”
“Why not?” Gabriel stood and began to pace. “She can offer advice.”
“Katherine will confront Cecilia and then Cecilia will drop me.”
“I’m beginning to think that’s a good thing,” Gabriel huffed.
“No, it isn’t. If Cecilia drops me, word will get out. It will damage my reputation. And I won’t have a dissertation director.”
Gabriel stopped pacing. “Work with Katherine.”
“I’ve already worked with Katherine. She supervised my MA thesis at Toronto, remember? How do you think it would look for me to work with her for both my thesis and my dissertation?”
“I think it will look fantastic. She’s the top Dante specialist in the world.”
“Cecilia said I’m too close to Katherine as it is.”
“Bullshit.” Gabriel continued pacing, like a caged lion. “Cecilia is not objective. Her assessments are clouded by envy.”
“Katherine can’t be my supervisor until she starts at Harvard, which is next year. Even then, she only has a visiting appointment.”
“She’s there to supervise graduate students. That was the deal.”
“What will it look like if Cecilia, who is the endowed chair in Dante Studies, refuses to work with me?”
“It will look like she’s a jealous bitch, that’s what it will look like.”
“What happens if something happens to Katherine? She’s in her seventies. What if she decides to leave? Or what if she . . .” Julia covered her face with her hands.
“Katherine is healthier than all of us.” Gabriel crouched in front of her, placing his hands on her knees.
“Some students take four to five years to complete their dissertation.” Julia’s voice was muffled. “Katherine will be in her eighties by then.”
“It won’t take you that long. Katherine understands the commitment involved.” Gabriel squeezed Julia’s knees.
“It isn’t just the dissertation. Katherine is family.”
Gabriel pressed his lips together. “Family is everything. That’s why I’m not going to Scotland without you.”
Julia lowered her hands. Their eyes met. “I don’t want you to cancel the Sage Lectures. You have to go.”